Linux Mint Update Tool Now Available for Beta Testing

A few months ago, the developers on the Linux Mint team announced that they would soon be releasing an update tool to improve major updates to the Linux Mint release.

The graphical user interface tool would add an option to the update process to make it more comfortable and easier for many of the operating system users. Instead of having to run commands from Terminal windows, most Linux Mint updates could be completed using just the tool.

Linux Mint point release updates are simpler as they don’t require the use of the command line. In fact, the whole process is not that different from updating other applications or operating systems. A device that is upgraded from Linux Mint 20.2 to 20.3 is ready in no time, as long as no issues occur during the process.

Upgrades from Linux Mint 20.3, the latest stable release of the Linux distribution, to Linux Mint 21, the next stable release, are not that easy to do. To address this and improve the process, development of the update tool began.

As of early April 2022, the Linux Mint Update Tool was available as an alpha release. Now, the developers have released the first beta version of the update tool. The particular version of the update tool is designed to update Linux Mint Debian Edition 4 to Linux Mint Debian Edition 5. The update tool to update Linux Mint 20.3 to Linux Mint 21 will follow in the future.

Since it is a beta tool, it is recommended to back up your system and important data before using it. While there is Timeshift, which can be used to revert the changes, it may be better to have another option to restore the previous state of the system.

The beta version is available for testing and users may want to report bugs and issues to the Linux Mint development team.

The following commands must be run to install and run the Linux Mint Update Tool on the LMDE 4 system:

1. proper update
2. apt installs mintupgrade
3. south mintupgrade

The last command runs the update tool on the device. The app’s user interface launches on the screen. All you need is to follow the instructions to upgrade to the new major version of LMDE 5.

The following two commands can be run to remove the update tool and reboot the system after the process is complete:

1. apt delete mintupgrade
2. restart sudo

closing words

The Linux Mint Upgrade Tool improves the upgrade process to major Linux Mint releases, especially for users who are not comfortable using the command line. Experienced users can still update using the command line, as the update tool adds an option to the process without removing anything.

Now you: Will you use the update tool?

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